Asset management for environmental conditions - retrofitting strategies for simple buildings

BRE (Building Research Establishment) is an independent, research-based consultancy, testing and training organisation, operating in the built environment and associated industries.

Asset management for environmental conditions - retrofitting strategies for simple buildings (IP2/16) was written by Ed Suttie et al, and published by BRE on 6 May 2016.

Passively maintaining or controlling environmental conditions in buildings is highly effective as a low energy and low impact method of maintaining specified conditions and user comfort. This 12- page Information Paper describes how to specify and maintain energy-efficient heating and lighting systems in simple buildings, such as warehouses.

The MATIN Project (Innovative Warehouse Design for the Efficient Maturation of Scotch Whisky, http://www.brematin.co.uk), monitored the environmental conditions in two whisky storage warehouses, produced a model of the variables affecting these conditions and developed a refurbishment tool. The purpose of the project was to show the connections between the management of a warehouse and the environmental conditions within it. The demands for environmental conditions in UK warehousing and retail sheds were researched and issues of user comfort and specific product categories (eg grain, spirit maturation, palletised and racking storage units, and depots) were explored.

This Information Paper provides guidance about this specific type of warehouse which will be relevant to a wider audience of construction clients, including those building other types of warehouse storage, and to the retail and distribution sectors. It will help them to decide on approaches for managing environmental conditions in these simple buildings.

It considers temperature and humidity control, types of heating systems, retrofit measures, lighting recommendations, and benefits of retrofit or replacement. The specific case of whisky maturation warehouses is used to highlight the ability to measure and model environmental conditions and the significance of their impact on process.

The contents of the Information Paper are:

• Introduction.
• Environmental control.
• Lighting.
• The MATIN Project.
• Conclusions.
• Acknowledgements.
• References.
• Further reading.

--BRE Group

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